What Hurts the Most
by C.Lovebug
Summary: He had convinced himself that it was just platonic.That she was just being a good friend,helping him deal with losing his father and sister and being presented with ruling a torn nation. - One-shot.


_I've had this saved for a while and thouhgt I should post it._

_Disclaimer:I do not own Avatar._

_Enjoy._

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He had convinced himself that it was just platonic.That she was just being a good friend,helping him deal with losing his father and sister and with being presented with ruling a torn nation.

That's what Aang kept in mind when Katara would zone out into her own world,or when he would walk past the two in the gardens talking to each other. He just figured that Katara was comforting Zuko like she would always do for him when he was unsure of his position in life.

After all, Katara did admit to having feelings for Aang. So what would he have to worry about? He trusted Katara and knew she would never intentionally hurt him. She knew that he loved her, and would do anything to make her happy. But, if he loved and trusted her,why had he followed her? Why hadn't he shrugged the feeling he was getting off?

So he followed her to a part of the palace that he had never been to.He remembered thinking what would Katara be doing going around an unknown wing of the palace in the middle of the night? He was just about to catch up with her,when there was a flash of fire, and the face of Fire Lord Zuko appeared.

Even though Aang was at a distance, he could read Zuko's expression. It was one of joy. His mind already knew what was going on from the moment the Fire Lord's face appeared, but he refused to believe it. Eventually, reality caught up with him.

After that day ,Aang began to become more distant from Katara and Zuko. And from what he heard, Katara was becoming closer to Zuko.

This all happened five years ago, but it couldn't get any clearer in the Avatar's mind. These were his daily thoughts when he was all alone in the Southern Air Temple. He tried to forget the pain she brought to him. He even tried forgetting her ,but how could he? Because of his position as Avatar, he would regularly visit the Firenation. Which meant he had to see her and him ,apparently as happy as can be. As soon as he would feel closure, it would be ripped open again by the sight of them together.

A few years back, he even tried moving on with one of the girls he had met while staying in the Earth Kingdom ,but no avail. His dreams would be haunted by what could have been. His future family with her ,their home, their life together .Aang's days were like a never ending nightmare .At one point, he tried to convince himself, like he did many years ago, that he didn't truly love her, but of course, like before, it came crashing down around him when he saw her waterbend at night.

Now here he was ,lying down in the middle of the court yard facing skyward at the stars where he found most of his peace of mind. He wasn't really looking at the stars tonight. He learned a trick from Toph. Since she was blind, she would just lie down, like he was doing now, and just listen to nature, In some way it was her form of meditation and thought it would help Aang clear his mind better.

Aang had just finished with a meeting and was not in the mood to sit across from Katara and Zuko who would be laughing and enjoying each other while Aang forced food down his throat. He decided he would clear his mind and then get some sleep. Why he thought it would be that simple, he couldn't explain.

"There you are." came Katara's voice. He could tell that she was worried, but he really didn't care anymore. If she would have cared about how he felt, she wouldn't be here with her husband, Zuko.

"I've been looking for you since the meeting ended .You just seemed to vanish."she said taking a seat not to far from him.

"I'm surprised you noticed."he said in a very low monotone that she wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for the silence surrounding them.

"What's that suppose to mean, Aang?"she asked ,tilting her head to the side, clearly confused.

Why was she so smart but so clueless at the same time?

"It means nothing. Like everything else about me...nothing."

This time his voice was clear but faded away at the end.

"Aang, what's wrong with you? What's going on? You haven't been visiting as much as before. I feel like you're avoiding me .I just don't know how to reach you anymore."she said bringing her hands up to her face in frustration.

He sat up and turned facing her. She really had no clue what he was going through. At first he thought that she was just ignoring his feelings, ignoring him. Pretending that there was nothing between them .Just their friendship .At this point, he felt like getting up and never coming back to this anguish and pain. He could only take so much.

"Katara, you honestly have no clue, do you?"

He could tell by the look on her face that she didn't. He cast his eyes down,"You don't..."he muttered.

"I wish I did, then maybe I could - "

"No, you couldn't help me,"he cut her off.

"Why not? Whatever the problem is, maybe I could just - "Again he cut her off. His anger growing."How could you not know?! I mean is it not obvious how much I care for you?"

"I know you care for me. I'm practically like your sister, not to mention your best friend."she was still a little shocked at his sudden out-burst.

"No, you know what I meant. You know how I feel about you .I love you and I always have .I've tried for five years ,five, to forget about you, but I can't. And all this time you were to busy to notice _your best friend_. I mean, even Sokka knows. So I don't understand how you didn't."

She looked at him. Studying his face for some sign of emotion other than pain. Maybe this was a joke, but of course she knew it wasn't.

She actually did know that her relationship with Zuko bothered Aang at first, but she figured that he got over her. She didn't seem to notice Aang as much as before. They still talked and bended together, they attended meetings, and ate dinner together, but she didn't really pry into his emotions like she used to.

"Aang...I'm sorry .I-I didn't think that it bothered you that much, but Zuko and I are married .I honestly don't know what to tell you."she said looking away to the side .

Of course Aang knew that Katara was right. There was nothing she could say to make him feel better ,but it didn't make it any easier.

"Katara, are you happy?"

The question was random, but he had to know. She looked up at him and they locked eyes. She didn't know why it was taking her so long to answer such a simple question .Just a quick '_ yes_ ' and that was that. Finally she looked away to the moon, a tear slid from her eye.

"No"

Even though part of him was happy at hearing this, it made him feel worse somehow. If Katara was going to be with someone other than him, she should at least be happy. She said no! Why did she do that? She has the perfect life. A great husband, she's Fire Lady, lives in a palace, and she has great friends ,but thinking about it, she really wasn't happy. And it took her until now to realize it. She missed being free, not put in a palace in the Firenation. She loved her home, but it was all the same. Wake up ,get ready for breakfast, eat with Zuko, then Zuko would go to meetings or look over things until dinner, eat with Zuko, and go to sleep.

Now that she thought hard about it, most of the times she was happy, excited, and free was when Aang visited .How could she be so stupid to take five years to truly notice her life and her best friend .Sure she had feelings for him when she was younger, but she felt something different for Zuko then .Now after all that happened ,and after analyzing her life, she accepted that she had made a mistake .A mistake that cost her to lose her and Aang's once strong friendship ,and possibly more.

Aang looked at her face. It was apparent that she was doing some serious thinking. He couldn't think of anything to say. What could he say now? He ruined their friendship. He should have just kept quiet about his feelings, but it was already said and done. There was no going back.

Slowly Katara moved closer to him.She was now facing him, confusion and pain obviously written on her face .She moved her hand to his cheek and moved her face closer to his .Now she was just centimeters away from him.

Right before their lips met ,he backed away and stood up, his heart beating wildly.

"Katara, like you said, you and Zuko are married. There's no turning back time. All we could do now is regret the chances we missed from our past."

With that, he turned his back to her and walked away.

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_Hope you guys liked it._

_Feel_ _free to review. :)_


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